Friday, August 19, 2011

-Changes caused by this separation may be permanent
-Scientists believe their research could help us better understand the equivalent human experience

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Like humans? Rhesus macaque monkeys separated from their mothers at birth grow up with poor social skills and suffer long-lasting symptoms of anxiety

Baby monkeys separated from their mothers at birth grow up with poor social skills and suffer long-lasting symptoms of anxiety, according to a study.
The changes caused by this early jolt also include depression and may be permanent.

Scientists believe their research could help us better understand the equivalent human experience.

However, the duration of these adverse effects has previously largely remained unknown.

Lead researcher Xintian Hu and his team analysed the effects of maternal separation on rhesus macaques three years after the monkeys were separated from their mothers at birth.

During those years, the monkeys, mostly reared by peers, led a normal social life.

Compared with monkeys reared by their mothers, peer-reared monkeys had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which helps manage anxiety, in hairs at the back of their neck.

Furthermore, three years of normal social living appeared not to have obliterated imprints of early maternal separation.

Peer-reared monkeys moved around less and sat together less often.

However, they paced around in their cages, sucked their own fingers and toes, and grabbed parts of their own bodies more often than did maternally reared monkeys.

This suggests that maternal separation at birth can lead to anxious behaviour that lingers as late as three years of age.

The study authors now believe that macaques might be a suitable experimental model to study the effects of childhood traumatic experiences among people.

The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.